Aftermath
by a0r123
Summary: In honor of my new obsession with Star-Crossed and my great disappointment in the decision of CW to cancel this AMAZING series, I've written the beginning of the second season myself. (Or at least tried to anyways) Enjoy! Season Finale Spoilers. Read and Review, Please let me know if I should continue! Thank you for reading!
1. Part 1

**Aftermath:** _A Star-Crossed Fan Fic_

The only sound I heard was from the Suvek. It's whirling kept me on edge and it's pulsing, visible light waves echoed through the atmosphere. I suspected this signal was getting emitted beyond Earth, maybe even beyond this galaxy. Its strength had knocked every human in the surrounding area unconscious. From Emery's side, I had gathered that she was still breathing but her heart rate had immensely slowed. Grayson on the other hand had suffered from a bullet to the chest. Drake was applying pressure to the wound but with little prevail. He desperately needed a doctor. I left Emery's side to get a better look from the roof top. The Suvek knocked out everyone in a 50 mile radius. Cars smoked on the roads, the shock left a devastating aftermath.

Drake and I just looked at each other. No one knew who the signal was sent out to. No one knew how soon it would take for it to be received or how much time we had until the recipients of that message arrived. All we knew was that time was short and we had nothing to stand on. The Sector wasn't a place to build defenses. We had been banned from our own ship for a decade and I'm sure security would only be multiplied once the humans awoke and found what the Trags had done.

Someone was screaming.

In the horrifying silence someone was screeching at the top of their lungs. I glanced around the rooftop. Drake and I had were only ones in this area left unharmed. Zoe was crumpled over by the edge bleeding out and her Trag allies were comatose from the previous scuffle.

"I don't think the blast affected the Atrians in the area. That scream could be from Sophia." My hearts raced so fast I thought they'd pound themselves out of my chest cavity. "Stay here I'm going to find my sister. Keep pressure on Grayson's wound and watch Emery."

Drake gave me a strained look. "You don't know what's out there, Roman. There could be dozens of conscious Trags unaffected by the Suvek. I can't let you go out there without backup."

"I'll be fine." I protested and snagged the guns from the unconscious Trags. "Look, I'm armed. Just stay here and keep the Suvek and those two safe." My eyes went back to Emery. She lay still as a stone. Every one of my nerve ends was screaming. I had put her in danger, again. Plus, the whole future of this planet was at risk. I pulled my gaze away and ran for the elevator. The Suvek had severed all electricity. I headed for the edge of the building and threw myself over the side to scale the wall down. Just before leaving I glanced at Drake. "If I'm not back in an hour come find me."

He nodded in return and I lowered myself to the ledge of the top story window.

The whole town was rendered powerless by the looks of it. Destroyed electrical wire lay on the ground limp and dead. Not too far away I heard another scream.

"Roman?" From the shadows Sophia appeared. Her face was a little scratched up but otherwise she appeared unharmed.

"Sophia." I breathed a sigh of relief and embraced her. She held me tight but suddenly pulled away.

"Was that the Suvek? Will the humans be okay? Where's Zoe?"

"Slow down. Yes, we removed the Ikson key from the Suvek in time but Zoe programmed her own device to resume the detonator once we succeeded. The Suvek detonated, but Sophia, it's not a bomb it's a transmitter. The Trags wanted to send out a message or something. To whom, I don't know but we're going to find out. Right now, we have to make sure everyone's okay."

Another scream echoed in the distance.

"Who is that?" Sophia looked around, alarmed. My hand on her arm felt her muscles tense.

"We got to help them. They're most likely Atrian. Come on, let's go."

Sophia followed close behind but caught my arm and motioned towards the slumped over figures behind us. Lukas, Julia and Eric lay on the ground in the shadow of the towering buildings. Their limbs were tangled but I could see no blood or cuts.

"What will happen to them?" Sophia's face flooded with concern.

"They're fine, completely safe, I promise. They are merely unconscious. When they wake we'll fill them in."

Sophia nodded and followed the scream.

It was coming from a flipped car a few blocks away from the Suvek epicenter. Between screams the person beneath was panting and crying. Their breathing was shallow beneath the car's weight. I extended my arm to hold Sophia back while I crouched beside the vehicle.

There was Taylor, sobbing with glowing cheeks and wailing at the top of her lungs.

"Don't just stare at me! Please get me out of here!" She cried and tried to wipe her face but her tears still glowed.

I jumped to my feet and motioned Sophia to pull Taylor from the wreck while I tried to remove as much of the car weight from her as possible. On the count of three, I lifted and Sophia grabbed Taylor by the torso from the driver's seat. Her arms and legs were scratched from the wrecked car body and her clothes were tattered but when Sophia helped her from the ground, Taylor yelped in pain.

"My leg!" She winced. Her hand reached for her leg which was bloody and torn from the car. The way Taylor held herself up beside Sophia appeared contorted and painful. Her expression said it all. Sophia tightened her grip around Taylor. A strong but tender hold kept her upright.

Even in her state, Sophia turned to embrace her. Taylor at first was shocked by the sudden embrace but softened and leaned into the hug.

"Thank you, Sophia." Taylor whispered and kissed her gingerly on the cheek.

"Can you please explain the glowing?" I asked but as soon as I let the question leave my mouth I understood. The expecting women back on Atria would cry glowing tears as well as exhibit a multitude of hormonal symptoms. And then it all started to come together.

"Taylor, you're-"

"Yes. I am. Now can we PLEASE forget about my situation and can someone explain what's going on here?!"

"I'll explain when we're back by the Suvek. I don't know how many Trags are still conscious."

We arrived at the location of the Suvek. Sophia and I carried Taylor between us, limping on one leg. "Those power lines weren't live back there. If the power is out, how did you manage to get down from the roof?" Sophia questioned.

"I scaled the building." I replied.

"Even with supernatural Atrian hormone strength I still don't think I can scale a building, Roman. _Especially_ with my leg." Taylor checked out the wall I climbed.

"While Lukas and I were scoping out the building for radiation readings, we found a staircase in this warehouse. Over here." Sophia led the way to a metal set of stairs in one of the back rooms. "They're narrow but the best we got. Do you think we could carry the others up here?"

I held on to my sister's shoulders. "Sophia, we don't have enough time. I'm sorry, but I assure you I'll keep them safe." To fulfill my promise, we retrieved Lukas, Julia and Eric and found a safe place for them to rest in the warehouse.

In the time while I was gone, Drake had tied up the Trag goons and Zoe. The Suvek still buzzed and whirled. As soon as he saw Taylor, he dropped everything and ran. His hands were on her in seconds, holding her face and kissing her. He stopped when he heard her whimper in pain. His jaw went slack. "I'm going to get you all fixed up, okay? I promise." He kissed her one last time before facing the rest of us. "First thing's first: we got to shut the Suvek down. Whatever message that's getting sent needs to be stopped as soon as possible."

"Roman, you said Zoe had some sort of device to restart the Suvek, there's got to be a control on that remote to turn it off." The remote had been tossed when Zoe was stabbed. It had landed a few feet from the elevator doors.

"Can anyone figure it out?"

"Lukas had some understanding of Atrian technology. He helped me recover data from a device a few months ago, I'm sure he could help us now."

"One problem, he's been knocked unconscious. Got any other more bright ideas?" Taylor snapped. She and Drake exchanged looks, after some silent conversation between them he retreated to her side and held her hand, gave it a few tight squeezes.

"Taylor's right, we need a plan B." Sophia interjected. "Let me see it." She took it from my grasp and studied it carefully. "If the Suvek is a transmitter and the Trag's only purpose was to send a message, the controls should just be a simple on and off, right?"

"Be careful, Sophia." I warned.

She pressed a few times on different spots on the remote and then suddenly the burdening sounds of the Suvek stopped. It collapsed on the ground and slowly, the beeping and whizzing noises faded away.

"Sophia, you did it!" Taylor was breathless. We all were.

As soon as the Suvek sputtered to a stop a new sound was heard around the town. The humans were awakening. In the streets of Edendale, everyone was sitting up and looking around. So many were clueless to what had just happened and so unaware of what was to come.

Her abrupt inhale of breath grabbed my attention so fast I almost lost my balance when I ran to her. Emery's eyelids fluttered open. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Emery, Emery, are you alright?" I stuttered. My hand reached for hers. She took it and lifted herself up.

"I'm fine, Roman. It's just- what happened?"

"The Trags weren't stopped." Drake cut in. He went over to Grayson who was beginning to wake up. "We got to get him to a hospital."

Sophia crouched beside Emery and I. "The Suvek isn't a weapon. It's a transmitter. The Trags created a device to reach out to someone-"

"-Or something." Taylor corrected.

From Grayson's side, Drake spoke up again. "And whoever received that message is going to be on their way here. The Trags wanted to take over this planet. I'm sure whoever they contacted is well replenished in armies and weapons."

Emery held her head. "So I guess we prepare for intergalactic war."


	2. Part 2

**Aftermath**: _A Star-Crossed Fan Fic_

Her voice was wavering and I was paralyzed. "Eric," Julia cried. "Eric, please wake up!" She was shaking my shoulders. Her small hands pulled at my shirt. She was trying so hard to wake me up but for some reason I was having trouble moving. Air was entering my lungs and I could feel my pulse in my ears beating rapidly but I couldn't stand. My eye lids felt heavy with sleep and refused to open. The terrifying part was that I knew I was asleep. I knew Julia was beside me and that meant we had survived the Suvek but for some reason, the rest of my body couldn't quite comprehend that just yet.

When I felt her collapse on me I began to hear the stifled voices in the background. Their words were very out of focus, almost like hearing a conversation from underwater. Someone was speaking in a soothing tone to Julia, while the many others were loud and blended together. I couldn't understand what they were saying but instinct told me this paralysis wasn't supposed to happen. I guess none of the Atrian Seven knew what the Suvek would do. They didn't know what it was or what it was used for, the only information they had of the device was that of its danger and that it needed to be stopped.

So how were they supposed to know how to fix me?

xxx

We descended down the narrow staircase. We were quite the damaged rescue party of six. Sophia held Taylor steady on her good leg while Drake had thrown a wounded Grayson over his shoulder. Roman had a tight grip around my waist and refused to let me go until he was positive I was mentally and physically sound. We rounded the corner to find Lukas groggy and a sobbing Julia. I loosened Roman's embrace and ran to her side. Eric was unresponsive.

"I- I tried so hard to wake him up." She cried and reached to stroke his face. "I don't know what's wrong with him. Everyone else seems to be waking up just fine." Her eyes were pleading and her lip was quivering but all I could do was pull her in for a hug.

"We're going to find out what's wrong with him. I promise, Julia."

"Maybe Cyper could wake him up?"

"We're not going back to the Sector." Roman demanded. "Gloria's security never found anything on the float. She never had any evidence to put the Trags in the Crate. For all we know, the Trags have rallied up an even bigger following and are planning to attack before their backup arrives."

"What if we could find Cyper outside the sector?" I proposed. Roman looked horrified but Julia understood.

"Eva." She whispered under her breath.

"Who?" Roman snapped.

"Eva. She said she worked at the school but she was really trying to unlock the healing powers of Atrian Cyper." Julia revealed. "She sampled my DNA without permission; her and her henchman kidnapped Teri and almost killed her. If Emery and I hadn't saved Teri, Eva would have enough Atrian blood to cure a hospital of cancer."

"We don't know how much Eva knows but if she captured Teri for her blood, she definitely knew enough about Cyper to grow some of her own." I said.

"And how would she get her hands on the seed? No one else knows where in the Sector Cyper is grown." Drake claimed.

"Does it really matter?" Julia exclaimed. "You just said we can't go back into the Sector. We need to locate Eva's stash."

"Gloria took her away. If we find Gloria, we find the Cyper and tell her about the Trags." I rushed over to Lukas who was dazed and confused. "Lukas, are you okay?"

"I've been better. Guys, what happened?"

"Trags sent a signal across the galaxy. We don't know who but we're going to find out and stop them before they can wipe out the human race." Roman explained.

"We can't keep discussing this out in the open; we need a secure location to hide in until this all blows over. Too many humans are waking up and there's too much at risk right now." I reported and looked over my group of friends. In my head I thought of secluded locations very few people in Edendale knew about. We could head back to the camping grounds to set up a base…

"I know where we can go." Taylor piped up. We all just stared at her. "Before the festival today, Gloria took me to a housing development just outside Edendale for Mixed Race couples." Our group exchanged looks but Taylor ignored us. "The point is, nobody knows about the development. It's uninhabited, away from town, and the Sector, _and_ our best option at the moment."

"How far away from town is it?" Roman asked her.

"I'd say an hour by car." She looked over our crippled crew. "And in our current state, I'd say a car or any transportation vehicle is better than walking."

My car was blocks away, and if the power was out who knew what else the Suvek had affected. "I can hot wire a car." Lukas suggested. "Sophia and I will go look for cars that haven't been destroyed and we'll call you when they're started. For now, you guys stay in the warehouse." Lukas signaled Sophia to follow him into the streets.

"Sophia!" Roman called and caught her by the arm. "Take this," He instructed and placed a gun in her hand. She nodded at him.

"Roman, what about Mom?" Sophia asked quietly.

I watched Roman's stone cold face soften. "I'll get her out of there. There are a few underground tunnel systems dad told me that can escape the Sector. Once the rest of you are at the housing development I'll find a way in and alert Mom about the Suvek and Caster and everything, okay?"

"Okay," Sophia answered and ran after Lukas.

Once they left, Roman turned to Drake and I. "We have to secure this building. Make sure nobody can get in or out until we're on our way to the housing development."

"Got it." Drake agreed. "And Roman, I know of an escape from the Sector. Soroya and I left through it the other night and I know that I can find it again."

"And you'd risk your life for my mother?"

"You think I wouldn't? You've been like a family to me since my mother was sentenced to the Crate. Trags or no Trags, you'll always be a brother to me. I know we've had our differences lately, but we can no longer afford mistrust in this group of ours. I know it's going to be difficult but you have to believe me when I say I'll do anything to protect us."

Roman's expression didn't change. He was still stressed and pained but he extended his arm and they shook on it. Drake pulled Roman in for a brief hug before running off to secure the building.

xxx

The crowds were still in a panic and frantically running about trying to get home. Mothers and fathers with small children quickly loaded into minivans and cars of all shapes and sizes. I realized I never learned how to properly drive one of these vehicles. Atrians were just getting access to human education; it would take years before any Atrian was given state issued driving lessons or licenses. My eyes quickly checked the street up and down for something unoccupied but large enough to carry nine across town to the development Taylor had told us about.

We had first needed tools. In town, Lukas ran into a local hardware store and snagged some equipment. He needed wire cutters and an assortment of things I wasn't very familiar with but he was certain it would do the job.

In a spot shaded from a few towering buildings was where I found it. The van was black and not too busted from the shock of the Suvek. It looked very well intact.

"Lukas!" I yelled. Lukas was scanning a lot of cars and trucks down the street. He met me in front of the black van. "It's a vehicle that can hold all of us." I reported.

The bustling street had thinned out and nobody was paying much attention to us anymore. Lukas rubbed his hands together and clapped me on the back which I took as a congratulatory gesture. "You're the best, Sophia!" He smiled and made his way to the driver's side. Beneath the handle to the door was a small touch screen that Lukas explained was a lock to secure the car. Thankfully, he found a program to disarm the van without the alarm going off. Lukas also ensured me that the program would prevent the owner of the car from getting a notification that his car had been taken. He placed his phone in front of the screen and pressed in a few codes. In seconds I heard the sweet click of the lock.

The door eased ajar and Lukas hopped in. "Aw man, Sophia you know how to pick 'em." His expression was almost giddy, like he had done this before.

"I suspect you're up for the challenge, then?"

"Why of course!" He got to work.

There was a panel beneath the steering console that was removed to reveal a mess of complicated wires and switches. For me, it looked impossible. I didn't know how to drive one much less take it apart, but Lukas pulled and cut the right chords so that when he touched two together they sparked and the van lit up. The engine roared to life and Lukas extended a hand for a high five.

I ran around the front to the passenger side which he unlocked and revved the van.

Lukas retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed in Emery. He then handed the phone to me. "Tell them we're on our way and to have the back entrance unlocked."

In a few minutes we were at the back of the warehouse. Roman let us in. Julia, Drake, Emery and Taylor met us by the door.

"We got it. We can leave as soon as everyone is ready." I told them.

"What are we going to do about the Trags and Zoe up stairs? They're tied up and barely breathing but still accompanied but the Suvek. Do we just leave it here?" Emery asked.

"No, we take it with us." Roman informed. "Is there enough room in the back of the van?"

"Plenty." Lukas assured him.

"I'm not letting Zoe rise from the ashes _again_," Drake hissed. "Especially after what she did today." Taylor appeared to be a tad emotional but quickly let her emotions pass. Of course that would hurt her. Even if their friendship was a mere façade, Zoe still held a special place in Taylor's heart. They were friends for years, these past few hours had dragged Taylor through hell. Zoe turned out to be a liar and Taylor was heartbroken and honestly, she looked very afraid.

"She's dead to me." Taylor spat through her teeth and hugged her middle closely. Drake wrapped his arm around her.

"Roman, I say you and I go up there and blow their brains. Meanwhile, Emery, Lukas, Sophia and Julia start loading Eric and Grayson into the van. After the Trags are dead we grab the Suvek and head out." Drake pulled Taylor a little closer for comfort and waited for Roman's approval.

I watched Roman scan the faces of our friends. We were really going to do this. When he got to Emery I saw that same lingering longing in his eyes. "We're running out of time, let's go." He ordered.

Lukas and Julia grabbed a hold of Grayson and lifted him off the floor. The distance between here and the van wasn't far; it was just the weight of the young men we were carrying that was a tad tricky. They were far from light. Both men were weighed down with muscle and organs and we all had to be careful with Grayson's wounds. Emery and I picked up Eric and followed the others outside.

The van had the driver's and passenger's seats up front, a bench with three available seats right behind those and two more after that. We sat Grayson and Eric upright and beside each other on the first bench and waited for Roman and Drake's signal.

xxx

Sophia had returned the gun to Roman and while I tied up the Trags I rounded up their weapons for myself. I didn't feel like myself holding their guns. It didn't feel right shooting some of my own kind on a foreign planet. All of this felt wrong and I figured it would haunt me later on in life but that's what happens in war, right? That's what makes me a warrior, a solider, and a fighter. It's my ability to fight for good. Those Atrians on the rooftop weren't good. They threatened the life on this planet, the creatures that were -slowly but surely- accepting us into their world and in doing so those Trags put the lives of Atrians at risk. Now what will happen to Atrians when the humans recuperate?

I needed to kill them.

I armed myself and climbed the stairs to the roof of the building with Roman. "You take the others, I have Zoe. I'm finishing this right now." Roman nodded and headed for the four men tied up. I didn't look but the shots didn't fire off right away. I could just imagine the conflicts Roman was feeling but eventually the shots were fired and I turned to see four shiny bullet wounds bleeding out of each Trags' skull.

Zoe lay limp and tied up. Her mouth foamed from the poisoned blade I had stabbed her with earlier. She was half dead and looking up at me with a menacing smirk.

"Do it." She coughed.

"It would be my pleasure." I aimed the barrel at her face, right between her eyes.

"But this isn't over. I may be dead and dying but the destruction of those _humans _won't end here. It has only just begun." Zoe was coughing more now; the poison had reached her lungs.

"What do you know about that?" I was scoffing. I was arrogant but I never shook or lowered my hand.

"There's a war coming. The superior race is descending on these incompetent beings and destroying them all for their resourceful Earth. Just wait." Zoe snarled. "Make sure you know where you're standing before the battle, it'd be a shame to see a pretty face, such as yours, waste away for a losing side in a war between your own people and the putrid inhabitants of this planet-"

She was silenced with a bang.

"Come on, Drake. Let's hurry and get the Suvek to the van." We assembled a system where Roman and I lifted the Suvek on a platform tied to cables so that we could lower it down to the ground and then once downstairs would carry it into the van. It worked and when the Suvek was secured, we all piled in and headed for the housing development.


	3. Part 3

**Aftermath**: _A Star-Crossed FanFic_

I saw the wave stretch across the horizon. In seconds, the humans standing guard fell to their knees. The Suvek wasn't stopped in time. The others couldn't do it. My hands were tied tight behind my back; the cuffs constricting and digging into my wrists. To my left, I watched my mother's lips curl into one of the most horrifying grins.

She had just won.

The Trags stopped between the Crate and the rest of the Sector. The Suvek had shut down the town. With this technology malfunction, the fences could be destroyed in seconds. All our restrictions could perish and in this small span of time we'd win the upper hand, against all odds, except, Vega didn't move. She stood completely still.

Her smile was unfaltering while she waited for her roaming Trag spies to enter the compound. They came in numbers and were quickly helping the rest of our troops unlock their cuffs. A Trag grabbed me by the arm, roughly, and removed my chains.

While I tended to my bruised wrists, my mother's silence ceased. "Carry the humans away." She ordered. Atrian men and women gathered the limp guards. "I want all of our own back in the Sector. No more Atrians will be held in the Crate."

There were so many bodies. The ones my mother felt were a threat were tied up while the rest were left in the dehydration chambers.

"As for you," Her voice could have been mistaken for a growl. "Come with me, Teri." My mother barked and led me to the greenhouse.

On our way there, I saw families reunited. Mothers and fathers that were locked up in the Crate were finally able to see their spouses and children whom they hadn't seen in a decade.

The lights that illuminated the herbs and plants seemed to be dimmer than usual. Vega paced.

"You croaked." Her voice was low and in the poor lighting I was having trouble spotting her in the room. "You are the rat that foiled our ploy. I thought you knew where your loyalties lay. You chose the Trags; _your_ people, _your_ race, Teri, your _family_." I noticed her pacing had evolved into a circular path around me. "I thought you understood the importance of this mission, and of your role within it."

"I couldn't let my friends die-"

"Don't interrupt me while I'm talking to you. I know your friends were in danger and I know you valued their company but you must look beyond your narrow vision, Teri. Take into consideration Atrian freedom. There are going to be casualties."

"Like Roman." I muttered under my breath.

"You're grieving, that's only natural. You and Roman were close, but there's no need for irrational actions. If the Suvek had been stopped, _you_ would have caused our mission to fail. Do you understand me? There is no room for failure in this operation."

I couldn't look at her. If I looked, I would break. "You already have some captured. How do you plan to destroy the human race?" I deadpanned.

"Why should I tell you anything? You can't be trusted."

"Because I'm your daughter. You just told me that my father's left Atria and the Trags detonated a device to wipe out the inhabitants of this world. I deserve to know."

"You don't deserve anything!" Vega spat. "Knowledge is power and no power is given to _lying scum_." Her palm swung at me and connected to my face. A throbbing emerged just below my right cheekbone. I couldn't cry. I took the pain as a scratch.

She swung again, this time her fingers curled into a first. She hit me hard and threw another punch at my torso and the left side of my face. I lost my footing but held it in.

"You are the rat, Teri. No rat is a daughter of mine."

She left me there alone and crumpled on the floor in the dark. I heard her voice by the door talking to another Trag member.

"Take her to the Crate with the others. She can't get in the way."

I forced myself to stand and limp to the other exit of the greenhouse. Time was scarce and I wasn't safe in the Sector. Vega would find me missing and want me dead.

I ran outside but didn't get far. My face ached and much of me was going to be bruised from Vega's assault. From where I was crouched in the shadows of the evening light, I heard some Trags.

"The humans are going to be waking up soon. We don't have much time before they get impatient and loud in the Crate. I wonder if the dehydration chambers will keep them quiet." One said.

His partner answered. "We'll find something to silence them. They're not going to be a disturbance for long; I heard the warships will arrive in a month's time."

I held my breath when they passed the corner I was hiding in. When the alley was clear I continued to run as fast as my legs could carry me out of the Sector.

Xxx

I was on my way out of the Sector when my men dropped to the ground. I ran to my nearest guard and found his heart beat was slow and breath shallow, they were alive but barely. Within the gates, the Atrians began to panic. I broke through the compound with ease.

My pulse was pounding in my ears. Why had I not been affected by the shock? What was that? Was that the Suvek? I saw my son, where is my son?

Behind me, there was a riot forming among the Atrians. I was running out of time to make my escape. I needed to reach Negea.

My memory worked in a marvelous way where it could remember a pathway like a photograph. I remember my mother told me as a child it was a gift of mine, to see the big picture. "Gloria, your memory will help you foresee so much more when you're grown."

I went back to the place Rowan had found for me a few weeks earlier. The direction I was supposed to go in next was fuzzy. I didn't have the intuition of the Atrians to find it again. There were no visible signs to take me away to Negea.

I could feel the tension in my chest. I was uncertain about too much: my son, his safety, my own, and what was to come of the most recent events. What was Vega planning?

I was interrupted by a rustle in the nearby trees. My heart beat thumped audibly in my ears. My neck grew hot. I was unarmed, lost and heading to a destination I barely knew existed. I grabbed the closest branch and pivoted towards the noise.

"Come out!" I yelled. "I know you're there!" The stress in my voice was evident no matter how hard I tried to hide it.

No one revealed themselves but I could pick up where the noise was coming from. I cautiously followed the sound. After climbing through a brush I found her.

Teri had fallen to the ground. She appeared bruised and shaking. "Please don't hurt me." Her eyes were welled with water.

Xxx

Gloria found me. She was armed with a branch and frightened. I caught her sigh with relief when she found me crippled.

"I take it you're confused and have no idea where to go or what to do next." She nodded. "Well, that makes two of us." Her sigh was out of aggravation.

"My men are unconscious and your mother has wreaked havoc on my town, and soon the rest of the planet, I believe."

"The Suvek, it sent a message." I told her.

"To whom?"

"Warships. My father is piloting one of them." Gloria's jaw went slack. I watched her recompose herself and breathe deeply. It was different to see the head of Earthly operations and human-Atrian integration at her breaking point, though I could understand her desperation. "What are you doing in the woods?"

"I could ask you the same question. Especially with the information you know." She raised her stick at me again.

"Put that down!" I instructed. "Both of us are running from the same thing." I lifted my shirt to reveal my bruising torso.

Her aggression towards me lessened. "What happened to you?"

"None of your concern, you just need to know I'm still on your side. Help me up, please." I reached my hand to her.

She took it and lifted me to my feet. Everything hurt. My face was surely going to be bruised and swollen and my sides ached from all this conversation.

"Why are you in the woods? If you don't mind me asking."

"Negea." I laughed. "It's real and it exists." She explained.

"And I'm supposed to believe you, a human? No thanks, I'll pass."

"There's a path. I've been there once before and I watched an Atrian follow it but now I can't find my way. I need your help, please. Do you see signs or directions? Anything. I need to see- I need to get there."

"I don't know where to go! Negea is an Atrian folklore. I was told stories but I don't know where it is or how to get there."

"Atrians looking for it will see a pathway, one that glows and if they follow it Negea will appear to them." The desperation in her voice made this whole ordeal sound like absolute nonsense or an actual chance at escape from the Trags.

"You've really been there?"

"Yes, my son-" She stopped herself short.

"You have a son?"

"We need to get moving."

"No, wait a minute." Gloria's lips pursed into a flat line. "Your son was sent there? Only Atrians are allowed into Negea. It may only be folklore, but that rule still stands." Then it all began to make sense. Ever since I was a child, there's been talk of integration. Gloria and Nox have pushed for integration for years, and for what? For humans and Atrians to live in harmony, yes, but for the next generation, peace between races would be crucial. "He's the reason you need integration to work." I concluded. "All of this is for your son."

"Yes, and for all the mixed race generations to come." She was suprisingly still confident while my mother's mess exploded. "As well as the humans and Atrians today, integration is what we need, Teri."

"Tell that to Vega."  
"I plan on it, just as soon as I know my son is okay. Now, please Teri, can I have your cooperation?"

I nodded. I closed my eyes, tried to block out the pain and focus on the destination: Negea. I opened my eyes to what appeared to be a normal forest but out of the corner of my eye, I saw it, the path. It glowed like my skin underwater and was cast across the grass and between the trees heading north. "Follow me."

Xxx

We arrived at an old boat house. The sign was flickering and broken but its few lights illuminated the word: Negea. _This was really it._ This was Negea. I was so close to freedom and safety. I was so close.

"We need to light three fires. We may need to wait a while until the boat comes, but it will be worth it."

Gloria and I sat on the rickety porch for hours. Sitting in such a desolate and quiet area made everything so surreal. Outside this swamp was a waging war.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Gloria spotted a light bobbing across the waves down the river. "Jesytur," She breathed and ran to the shore. He met her at the dock very confused.

"Why have you returned?" He asked.

"My son, I thought I saw him at the festival today. I thought he had left and was in danger; I needed to be sure of his safety."

"The child is protected." Jesytur assured her. "I see you've followed another Atrian here to have your way."

"Is Negea still the haven I was promised all those years ago?" I didn't mean to interrupt, but I needed to know. Maybe I could go with Jesytur and get away from my mother and from this war.

"Within the walls, you will be safe."

"There is a war coming."

"We know, and plan to protect our inhabitants." I could go; the opportunity was right in front of me. Gloria pulled me from my thoughts.

"Teri, what about your friends? What about your mother? Vega is building an army and knowing Roman and his friends, he'll be preparing to fight." I remembered Roman was still alive. They had gone after the Suvek and even though the attempt had failed, Gloria was right, Roman would die trying.

"I need to be there for him, for them."

"This is your freedom and your life that you're fighting for, Teri. You should be proud." Gloria smiled.

"Thank you, Jesytur. Tell the Atrians in Negea about the war, but make sure they know there are Atrians out there fighting for them." Jesytur nodded. He turned his boat around and headed back where he had come. Meanwhile, Gloria and I stood there in silence.

"So what now?" I wondered.

"We find Roman and figure out our next move against Vega."

"Just where do you think you'll find him?"

"A place very few people would look." She said and signaled me to follow her back into town.


	4. Author's Note

Hello there,

For those who have been following this story for the last few weeks, I have to ask: what do you think? Should I continue this? I know I have given this story quite the turn of events. Please let me know in the reviews if I should continue with this. I have the next parts all planned out and I'd appreciate your comments on whether I should proceed.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

a0r123


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